English professor named Aesthetica International Creative Writing Award Finalist[01.26.2016]

TAMPA, Fla. -- A short story by Rita Ciresi, professor of English at the University of South Florida, has been selected as a finalist in the International Aesthetica Creative Writing Award that attracted 2,000 entries from more than 40 countries across the world.

"Maybe the Mermaids" focuses on the devastating effects of early-onset Alzheimer's and was previously chosen as the winner of the 2015 Tampa Bay Creative Loafing Fiction Contest.

The Aesthetica Creative Writing Award is an internationally renowned competition that is now in its ninth year and is hosted by Aesthetica Magazine, one of the leading publications for art, design and photography with a readership in print and digital of 284,000. Partners and sponsors include The Independent, Bloodaxe Books, Vintage Books and Granta.

The winners and finalists represent a broad selection of the very best in established and promising international talent, and the featured compositions invoke a rich array of imagery and concepts that illuminate daily life.

Cherie Federico, editor of Aesthetica Magazine, said: “In publishing the anthology, we are presented with a fantastic and unique opportunity to showcase the best emerging and established literary talent from across the world, and champion the winners and finalists from the Award. The result is an inspirational collection combines longevity with innovation – a book that will stay with the reader, whilst offering new perspectives on the world and our place within it.”